Faith Through the Journey

I don’t think there’s ever a good time for a cancer diagnosis, is there?? It certainly doesn’t appear on anyone’s day planner or fit into a carefully planned schedule. It just shows up and rearranges every part of your life.

Up until August 15, the year 2017 had been a very good one for our family as a whole. On January 4, our youngest daughter became engaged and we began to plan toward a June 30 wedding date. On January 31, our daughter and son-in-law officially adopted our precious new granddaughter and grandson. Things were going along well, very busy and happily chaotic with wedding activities, grandchildrens’ birthdays, opportunities for travel, even a great colonoscopy report with NO Crohn’s Disease evident! After we got our happy newlyweds on their way home after their honeymoon, life was going to settle down for us a little bit.

I had made a doctor’s appointment in July to be checked for something that had begun to cause me trouble in swallowing and pain radiating into my ear. That was when we had the infamous fungal infection diagnosis, and began to treat that accordingly. A month later, everything changed for us and we began to walk the path we are now on.

After talking with our doctor about the treatment for the cancer that had been diagnosed, we knew we had to share this news with our families and close friends, beginning with our children. Since we live some distance from all three of our children, this had to be done by phone calls. That was one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do, because as a parent you do everything you can to protect your children from anything that might bring unhappiness or difficulty into their lives. At the same time, we had to trust God that He was going to use this in their lives to draw them closer to Him and strengthen their faith as they walked through this as well. We were so thankful for each of their spouses who would be with them and support them as they faced this difficult time.

We also shared the news with our extended families and close friends, people we knew would begin praying the minute they heard the news. We have been blessed by so many people through the years who have prayed us through my health crises with Crohn’s Disease. This was just another opportunity to trust God, believing that He is God and we are not, that His ways are perfect, and that He would indeed see us through this new challenge.

We were so grateful for God’s perfect timing even in this hard season. What if this had happened earlier in the year? All of the joys that would have been tempered by the shadow of cancer? I have no doubt that my family would have rallied to support me no matter what, but it was truly a gift that we were able to experience so much joy and happiness before our new challenges began.

The days following continued to be emotional, and as I share all of this it’s with the sole purpose of pointing to Jesus and how He has gone before us and continues to hold us each step of the way. It’s not a path we would choose, but since this is part of God’s plan for us at this time, then I know He will give us what we need to put one foot in front of the other each step of the way, holding us firmly in His hands.